We don’t tend to realise how quickly we grow up. But when we think about it, there is so much we used to do as kids that we just don’t do anymore.
I tend to ask myself on the daily: “Am I too old to be doing this?” When did I become too old to use the word “sleepover” when staying over someone’s house? Or when did I become too old to order a scoop of ice-cream at a restaurant?
Becoming a mature adult means that we have to leave these “childish” acts behind and start to use phrases like “let’s organise a catch-up”. But when did this realisation hit? When did the change happen?
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when we stopped having swimming pool parties or when we stopped trick or treating. But thoughts come to mind over the years where we do think maybe we’re just too old for this now. We have to start acting more mature than getting excited about sweet shops. But why do we?
The stigma behind the whole concept of growing up influences the way we act. The expectations to act responsibly, to be mature members of society, changes the way we see things. Our excitement over what we used to see as fun gradually disappears, and begins to seem “immature and childish”.
We grow up. We wake up, we go to work, we earn money, we contribute to the economy. But the things we used to love doing as a kid vanish from our everyday lives.
That is until we, if we choose, have children of our own. When we can take our children to ice-skating parties, we can watch them knock on doors at Halloween, we can see the excitement that we used to have for those things. But even then, we’re watching from the side-lines.
It is an important aspect to grow up. We get so excited to be able to do things our parents did when we were young. But it is equally important to not rush the process. Because you never know, while we were excited to grow up, our parents were excited to be able to, temporarily, dwindle back down.
It’s scary how quick time flies. Which is why it is so vital to be able to take the opportunity to find excitement in your everyday schedule. Whether that is take some friends for ice-cream or invite people over for a sleepover or dress up as a giant dinosaur and take your dog for a walk. The stigma behind “you know you’re too old when…” needs to change so that we can all find the excitement in ourselves that we used to experience as kids.
